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World Records

Overview

The AKA Kite Records Committee will document and authenticate kite records submitted to the committee by anyone. (A filing fee is required for non-AKA members) Our goal is twofold: to give the kiting community a easily accessable list of current kite records and to act as an information group that can assist kitefliers who plan to attempt a kite record. The Committee will give fliers accurate, sensible and safe criteria for kite record attempts, and a clear, simple and fair method to document record attempts.

Records will be documented in the categories listed on the following pages and according to the criteria determined by the committee. The initial record categories are not the only ones the committee will consider. The Committee will consider new categories and accomplishments as they are presented. The AKA acknowledges kite activities around the world may exceed the records listed. We will begin with the documented efforts reported to us by our members and those which satisfy the criteria identified by the committee.

History and Background

Since the demise of the publication, Kite Lines, the kiting community has been without an organization that tracks kite world record attempts, sets criteria, verifies and lista kite record attempts. The Guinness Book of World Records currently recognizes four categories of kiteflying records. The Guinness people expand and reduce the amount of printed kite records according to public interest and space available in their book.

For example, Football is listed on twelve pages of the current Guinness Record Book. Football fans can access other books and publications that contain literally thousands of pages of statistics and records. Obviously, the interest in football records far exceed the information in the Guinness Book, just as the interest in kite world records will also exceed the four categories of kite records listed in the Book. The kite community, as a sport, needs its’ own list of records and statistics, and therefore, a committee to track and record. AKA is the organization that will accept that responsibility.

The AKA Kite Records Committee will not be reinventing the wheel. Many current kite records were verified by earlier criteria and documented with a system that was fair and accurate. It would be unfair to current record holders and to the fliers who are in the process of setting records to alter previously established criteria. The AKA Kite Records Committee will honor the past records, and also identify the current and future records and record holders.

The kite world records committee will expand the criteria and refine the verification process, while authenticating and verifying the current records. The verification process will need to evolve, just as the hobby and sport of kiteflying has grown and evolved. The committee will include new categories for records as new and different types of kites emerge. The committee will strive to update criteria and verification methods as science evolves and provides advanced technology to verify and document kite records more accurately.

Definitions & General Rules For A Kite Record Attempt

A kite is defined as a tethered aerodyne deriving all its lift from ambient winds and unassisted by any “booster” such as a rocket, balloon, gas, motor, electricity, explosives or other applied devices.

All kites used in any claim for a record must fly. Flight is defined as being airborne at an angle of at least 15 degrees above the horizontal to an altitude above the ground for at least the length of the kite and for a time period of at least two minutes. These factors interrelate and a kite achieving only minimum in each factor puts the claim at risk of being denied.

All kites used in a claim for a record must be retrieved.

All kite records must be set either within the limitations of any applicable prevailing laws or with permission of the authorities to perform outside such limitations.

All kite record efforts must be made in conformance with recognized safe flying practices as appropriate to the effort.

For most categories, for a record to be considered as an increase over past records, the increase must be in significant increments (suggested 5% increase). There should be no doubt that a new record surpasses a previous record.

Current Recognized Kite Record Categories

Altitude by a Single Kite

Altitude by a Train of Kites

Duration of Kite Flight Outdoors by a team/individual

Duration of Kite Flight Indoors by a team/individual

Most Kites Flown on One Line

Largest Kite Flown (Square area only! Type of kite or number of flying lines is not considered)

Smallest Kite Flown

Greatest Weight Lifted by a Kite

Longest Kite Tail

First Kite Flown in a specific location (i.e., North Pole, Mt. Everest, etc.)

Join hundreds of your kiteflier friends for a week of flying, workshops, Annual Business Meeting, competitions, great food, and parties on the sands of Ocean City. More updates to be posted soon. Need more information? Contact Phillip Whitaker, Convention Committee Chair, bigsmile63@hotmail.com or 580-402-2102.